Quiz: Howstuffworks

Mount Everest: Seriously Dangerous

Nathan Chandler

Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

Mount Everest is more than a mountain. It's an inspirational icon to climbers and nature lovers from around the world. Its steep slopes, though, are a siren call that baits many adventurers to early graves. How much do you know about its deadly peaks?

Mount Everest is more than 29,000 feet tall. What does that mean in more useful terms?

it's 3.5 miles tall

it's 4 miles tall

it's 5.5 miles tall

From sea level to sky, Everest is the world's tallest mountain. At more than 5.5 miles high, its peak is higher than the flight paths of some airliners.

Everest was first summited in 1953. How many people have climbed the mountain?

about 400

about 4,000

about 12,000

Since Edmund Hillary first reached Everest's summit in 1953, about 4,000 people have conquered the mountain's slopes. It is no longer an indomitable challenge, but it is still plenty hazardous.

These days, about how many people try to climb the mountain each year?

about 8,000

about 2,000

about 800

Each year, about 800 people throw in their hats (and lives) and give Everest a shot. Many of them will fail. And some of them will die.

Of the people who perish on Everest, how do most of them die?

cold

avalanches

falls

Unstable ice and snow results in avalanches, which cause most climber deaths. Falls are the second-leading cause of death.

In April 2014, an avalanche resulted in the single deadliest day ever on the mountain. How many people died?

16

39

51

A total of 16 climbers were killed that fateful day. The climbers were still 10,000 feet below the summit when they died.

Of the 16 people who died that day, how many of them were foreigners?

zero

three

10

Foreign climbers make up the bulk of summit attempts, but this day it was the local Sherpas who died. They were ferrying equipment up the mountain for other climbers when the avalanche struck.

Most climber deaths occur at which altitude?

between 16,000 and 18,000 feet

between 18,000 and 21,000 feet

above 26,000 feet

The most dangerous part of the journey is between 18,000 and 21,000 feet. There, the ice and snow are notoriously treacherous.

How many people (so far) have died climbing Everest?

about 280

about 380

about 580

Just under 300 people have died on Everest. Many of their bodies are strewn across the mountain as grim reminders of the dangers involved.

Why are climbers' bodies often simply left on the mountainside?

they're too high

they're frozen to the ground

they're lost

The incredible altitude and steepness sometimes make it impossible to retrieve the bodies. Today's climbers often march right past bodies that have been frozen in the snow for years.

In May of that year, an incredible blizzard struck as climbers were ascending. A bottleneck caused by too many climbers contributed to the climbers being stranded on the slopes.

What is "mountain sickness"?

cerebral hemorrhage

altitude sickness

extreme exhaustion

Mountain sickness is another term for altitude sickness, which is mostly caused by lack of oxygen. It causes nausea, confusion and contributes to many climber deaths.

Everest's base camp resides at about 17,500 feet. How much oxygen is there at that altitude?

about 50 percent of sea level

about 70 percent of sea level

about 80 percent of sea level

Even at "just" 17,500 feet, the air is very thin -- with only half of the oxygen found at sea level. It's no wonder so many people die on this mountain.

Altitude sickness can also lead to what other rather unpleasant condition?

ulcers

heart attack

fluid buildup

The extreme altitude can cause fluid to build up in the lungs or even in the brain. Both conditions can and do kill climbers.

What's the fatality rate for climbers?

about 1.6 percent

about 16 percent

about 27 percent

Given the hundreds of people who try the mountain each year, not many die -- around 1.6 percent. But each climbing season several people will definitely be killed by Everest's extremes.

Where do most falls occur on the mountain?

just above base camp

between 19,000 and 20,000 feet

near the mountain's peak

Most falls occur at Everest's highest points. The air is thinner, the climbing is harder and the climbers themselves are weary.

What nationality were the climbers who first died on Everest?

British

Nepalese

Chinese

In 1922, the British made one of several attempts on the summit. Seven Sherpas died...but no British men perished.

About how many corpses are there on the mountain?

about 40

about 100

about 200

Of the roughly 300 people who've died on Everest, most of them never made it home. About 200 bodies are permanently frozen to the slopes.

The Khumbu Icefall is one of the most dangerous parts of the mountain. It is what kind of structure?

a glacier

a huge icicle

a rockslide

The Icefall is part of a massive glacier that moves with alarming alacrity. Sometimes, huge gaps will suddenly swallow climbers whole.

When do most climbers attempt to climb the Khumbu Icefall?

morning

afternoon

night

Most climbers attempt the Icefall in the morning when temperatures are still cold and the ice is mostly -- mostly -- solid. Even then, it's a perilous ordeal.

The Icefall is full of wide, steep crevasses. How do climbers pass these?

they use ladders

they climb down one side and up the other

they totally avoid them

Brave Sherpas ascend and affix long ladders across the gaping maws of the crevasses. These ladders make the ascent much easier for people who are paying for the privilege of climbing.

In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were trying to become the first men to ascend the mountain. What happened to them?

they got lost

they came up just short

they died

The men disappeared and for decades no one knew what became of them. Finally, in 1999, Mallory's body was found at about 27,000 feet, well below the summit.

When did scientists first discover that Everest was the world's tallest mountain?

around 1860

around 1900

around 1910

It was around 1860, just before the start of the American Civil War, that humans finally realized where Earth's tallest peak rested. It was nearly a century before they climbed it.

How did Everest get its name?

named after a war hero

named after a British explorer

named after a surveyor

It was named after a Welsh surveyor named Sir George Everest. He was one of the men who first surveyed many of the mountains in the area.

Few plants can survive on Everest. Which type of plant life makes it higher on the slopes than any other?

cushion plant

pine trees

moss

At just below 22,000 feet, there's one type of moss that somehow manages to survive Everest's hostile domain. It's possible that they are the highest type of plant life in the world.

In 1970, a huge expedition assaulted the mountain. Eight people died. Which country led the expedition?

Japan

China

France

The ill-fated 1970 expedition was from Japan. More than 100 people worked on the effort but they didn't make it to the summit. Many people tempt fate by attacking Everest -- and many of them go home empty-handed.

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